Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 by Karen Whiddon (interesting books to read for teens TXT) 📕

if you get hurt, or worse? You said this possible lead is about who put Charlie behind bars in the first place?” Interest reflected in Soledad’s voice, but Dominique also heard distraction. Her sister was baking up a storm, as usual. As the owner of Dream Bakes bakery, it was her life.

Dominique stopped at a traffic light on Grave Gulch Boulevard in the center of the city and gave herself a heartbeat to answer her perceptive sister. If she told Soledad who she was really interviewing, or where exactly she was going to in Grave Gulch, her sister would relay the information to their father in two seconds flat. He’d flip out when he discovered she was willfully going into a part of town she wasn’t familiar with, in the midst of a drug cartel’s attempted takeover of their beloved town. If her father had read last night’s police blotter in today’s Grave Gulch Gazette, he’d have figured out that she was going to where drug-related crimes had occurred last night. To complicate matters, there was a serial killer on the loose in Grave Gulch, too, which added to Rigo de la Vega’s worries over his family. Dominique appreciated his concern, and while she felt not a little guilty that her actions caused him any angst at all, she wasn’t going to stop doing her job. She was in her third decade of life and had ventured into dicey situations all over town and the state for countless stories over the years.

She didn’t disagree that any part of Grave Gulch was downright dangerous when it came to ferreting out information from a probable drug dealer and, at the very least, false witness. The particular street she was headed to had seen several serious crimes this past week, all opioid related. As much as GGPD wasn’t cooperating with her on this story as she’d like, she felt for them. Every time it looked like the heroin scourge had been tamped down, it popped up again without warning. ODs often happened in clusters, depending on where the dealers were peddling their lethal wares. Dominique had learned long ago that getting the whole story often meant taking risks but getting her dad on board was another matter. Especially difficult to convince was her father, Rigo, who was beyond protective of his twin daughters, and always had been.

“Yes, the lede in my story is about Charlie’s key accuser. I’m going to get to the bottom of why he lied. Then I hope to tie it into Randall Bowe.” She believed Charlie’s case was yet another instance of GGPD’s forensic scientist deliberately tampering with evidence. “You know he’s suspected of planting the false evidence that almost put Everleigh Emerson in jail for murder for good, and several others, right? Thank goodness Everleigh was cleared.” She gripped the steering wheel in frustration. “GGPD is in over its head, if you ask me. Now that it’s solid truth that Bowe planted false evidence against Everleigh, GGPD has clammed up about the other cases, including Charlie’s. It’ll be more difficult for me to figure out why Bowe went after Charlie but trust me, I will.” Randall Bowe was in her sights, and she wasn’t letting up. Charlie’s death placed his case at the bottom of the GGPD priority list, as other investigations Bowe deliberately damaged involved the living. It wasn’t going to keep Dominique from getting justice for Charlie, though. “Look, sis, I can’t give you more information right now. You’ll tell Dad.” She never could hide her thoughts from her sister.

“Maybe I will, Dominique. You sound like you’re already in trouble. Where are you, anyway?” The clang of utensils and aluminum sheets sounded over the connection.

“I’m in Grave Gulch, downtown. I just drove past you. Trust me, I wouldn’t walk into a place unprepared, or in a dark alley or anything like that. Plus, it’s broad daylight.”

“Don’t patronize me, sis. We both know that evil knows no time of day or place.”

Dominique sighed, wondering why she’d told Soledad about any of this in the first place. Why hadn’t she kept their morning connection time simple and allowed her sister to do most of the talking?

You’re nervous.

Yeah, she was a little on edge. Going in to find and ask for an interview from the man, according to Charlie, who’d lied to put Charlie behind bars wasn’t what she’d consider usual, even for her job. Usually she’d leave the investigation of criminal activity to GGPD. But first Randall Bowe had evaded questioning, and now GGPD was locked down about Bowe’s involvement in rigged prosecutions. She had to do something, and that meant going after the false witness. Ever since she’d taught the creative writing and poetry night class for inmates in the county correctional facility, she’d established a bond with the men and women who had found themselves behind bars, rightfully or wrongfully.

She’d listened to those who claimed wrongful imprisonment, agreeing to use her skills as a reporter to investigate what she could, but made no promises. Again, this wasn’t her job, it was GGPD’s. As she had expected, she found many allegations to be unfounded. When confronted with the facts, most inmates had stopped insisting on their innocence. But not Charlie Hamm. Charlie had always proclaimed his innocence, and had never given up on the hope that he’d be released early, once someone proved his case. He was arrested a year before he’d been arrested again and sent to prison, both times for dealing. Dominique believed his heartfelt admission that he’d deserved the first arrest, and that it had scared him straight. Charlie swore he’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, trying to help users and dealers break free of the sordid life. He’d been brought up on drug dealing charges with what appeared to be minimal but solid evidence in the form of an eyewitness and a single fingerprint. When the reports of Randall Bowe’s alleged evidence tampering began to leak out of GGPD,